The present invention relates to a safety ladder attachment used to secure a ladder to an overhead cable, and specifically relates to a safety ladder attachment which can be released after the worker has safely reached the ground.
Utility repairmen and installers frequently need to brace their ladder against overhead cables. Since the cable does not provide a secure support for the ladder, there is a risk that the ladder may shift while in use, causing injury to the user. This risk is especially great when the user is ascending or descending the ladder.
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art for securing a ladder to an overhead cable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,581 to Henson, describes a metal clamp which is secured across the upper two rungs of a ladder. The clamp includes a cable receiving slot with a locking mechanism. The user raises the upper end of the ladder adjacent the cable and slips the cable receiving slot over the cable to engage the locking mechanism. The user then must disengage the locking mechanism before descending the ladder.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,963,104 to Roth and 3,001,603 to Kraus, Jr., describe devices for securing a ladder to a plurality of overhead cables. These devices can be attached to two rungs of a ladder, and include a plurality of slots to receive cables. The device is lowered onto the cables when the ladder is positioned for use, and lifted from the cables to remove the ladder from the cables.
Devices of the above nature have several disadvantages. Since they are attached to the ladder, they are cumbersome, and make movement of the ladder more difficult. Also, they interfere with the use of the ladder for other purposes. Importantly, they do not provide secure attachment to a single cable, or they must be disengaged from a secure attachment while the user is still on the ladder.
Conversely, the safety ladder attachment described herein is easy to carry, is attached to the ladder only when there is a need to secure the ladder to an overhead cable, and holds the ladder securely to the cable until the user has safely descended. The safety attachment can then be readily released by the user.